Spent a very relaxing day and a half in one of the garden spots of the U.S. Midwest, southwest Michigan.

Drove for a couple of hours, stopping for lunch at a Denny’s (Denny’s: there’s a story for another day!); shopped for stuff we sort of need at an outlet mall; checked into an affordable, adequate hotel; ate dinner at an affordable, adequate restaurant; spent a more than adequate night; breakfasted at an extremely affordable, almost adequate restaurant connected to the affordable, adequate hotel; checked out a charming shopping street in a town that has successfully come to grips with its status as a post-industrial tourist destination; enjoyed the afternoon with exceptional long-time friends from town in one family’s summer home, including a group adventure riding a narrow gauge Shay-powered steam train at Indiana’s Hesston Steam Museum; and made it home through country and urban traffic in time for Sunday Night Football.